The Bubble Bath
by Infactrus Pennae
Summary: Beverly learns the hard way about taking showers.


Soft music filled the cabin as Beverly sang to the melody. Her world was prefect, she had a husband she was madly in love with and he her, and she had two beautiful children. Nineteen year old Wesley was at Starfleet Academy and two and a half year old Felisa Picard was sound asleep on the floor of the living area. The toddler had fallen asleep with her favorite stuffed bear and blanket. This was not an uncommon practice for the young girl. Felisa normally slept for at least an hour so Beverly had felt safe in taking a shower before her own shift started in Sickbay. Little did she know how wrong she would be this time.

The doctor stepped out of the shower to see the cabinet Felisa's bathing supplies were kept in wide open. At first she thought nothing of it, and closed it without a second thought. Perhaps, Jean-Luc had simply returned early and was getting the toddler's bath stuff ready. She proceeded to grab a towel and dry herself off. "Computer lower music ten decibels."

As soon as the music lowered she heard her daughter's voice, "Hamlet, you weeping too?"

The words alarmed Beverly and she quickly wrapped herself in her robe, leaving her uniform sitting on the counter folded up.

As she reached the living area the door opened to reveal her husband who had a more interesting view of their young daughter and her latest escapades. His hazel eyes widened as he looked at the blue bubbles that were flowing out of the fish tank that sat near the bedroom he shared with his wife.

Felisa was carefully standing on the table with a chair pushed up against it, looking down into the clear top of the tank. Her tiny hands covered in blue bubbles.

The closer Jean-Luc got to his child and the tank he could see all four of his fish floating at the top. Jean-Luc looked at his wife with a solemn look upon his face. "Felisa?" He said softly as to not frighten his daughter, in fear she might fall off the table.

Her bright blue eyes looked up at her father and she put her finger to her lips. "Shhhh, fishies are weeping, Papa."

Jean-Luc put his fist in front of his mouth and counted to three so he would not yell at his daughter. Once he was calm enough to speak again he told her, "Yes, they are." He knew his young daughter won't understand that the fish were not sleeping but where in fact dead.

Beverly picked up the now empty bottle of bubble bath and looked at her daughter. She felt for her husband, he had the fish since before she and Felisa had come into his life.

"Felisa did you give the fish a bath?"

The toddler grinned wide and nodded. "Juliet unted one."

"Oh did she?" her father asked as he picked her up.

"Uh huh." She nodded again then kissed his cheek. "Me do it mywelf."

"So I see," He told her and looked at his wife. "Why don't you let your mommy clean you up and I will finish their bath."

Beverly reached her hands out to her daughter and smiled. "Come on you, let's get all those bubbles off of you."

Felisa willingly went to her mom and gave a final look at the fish, "you will wet dem weep, Papa?"

"I won't wake them up." He said as he looked from her to the tank still producing a mass of bubbles.

The two women in Picard's life went back into the bathroom and He looked at the tank. It amazed him that his daughter had thought to do such a thing.

Jean-Luc turned off the aeration system to stop the production of the bubbles. He would have to get the dead fish out and dispose of them before Beverly and Felisa returned from the bathroom. One by one he took them out, starting with Othello, followed by Hamlet, and finally Romeo and Juliet. He placed the fish in the reclaimer and told them. "You have served me well and will be missed. Felisa meant well, I know."

He sighed as he pressed the button that would send his fish away. Now he had to figure out how to explain to his two year old that the fish were gone. The tank and cleaning it out would have to wait till tomorrow.

Fortunately, the two year old had a limited attention span. With luck he could capture her attention with something else before she noticed the fish were gone.

Picard collected a fresh romper for his daughter and then moved towards the bathroom where he heard his wife and daughter talking. He set the clean outfit down and listened to his wife and child interacting; any anger he might have held flowed out of his body.

"You used all your bubble with the fish, Felisa. It's all gone."

"But I want bubble bath." The toddler pouted and splashed her mother with water.

Beverly wiped the water from her face and stopped talking to the child.

The couple had agreed when Felisa behaved like this they would not talk to her, and simply do what needed to be done so she understood that it was not acceptable behavior.

Beverly finished cleaning her daughter up and put a fresh romper on the toddler. She had yet to dress and Jean-Luc told her, "I'll take her from here; you have to get ready for your shift."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

Once his wife went to work, he and Felisa would leave so he could have some one replace the tank with a selection of fish from the aquarium. For him they would not be the same fish but to a two year old they just might be.


End file.
